A Case for the Congo: How Can Education and Agriculture Lead to Economic Development?

Since its independence from Belgium in 1960 until this point in time, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has more than often experienced violence and political instability that have prevented the creation of a stable economy and functional political system. As a result, quality education and high paying jobs are scarce in the DR Congo today, resulting in poverty to the extent where many people in the country live on less than $1.90 per day. According to the International Labour Organization, as many as 68.7% of Congolese worked in agriculture in 2019. This paper investigates how education and training can help smallholder farmers in the Congo adopt more advanced farming methods, which can increase their yields and productivity, income and quality of life, and lead to economic development in the long run. Crop diversification, organizational reforms, technological change and incentivization are the four main components that this paper recommends to prioritize in order to achieve the goal of agricultural development. Agricultural education and training and farmer field schools are among the programs through which rural farming communities in the Congo can be empowered to expand their economic capabilities. However, success and replicability will depend on political and economic stability in the country